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The North Gauteng High Court has dismissed an application by the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality to have private firefighting services operating in the metro declared illegal.<\/p>\n
This provides long-sought certainty to operators such as Fidelity who have increasingly been filling a growing gap as the capacity of many cities across South Africa to deliver these services has all but collapsed.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s Department of Emergency Services together with the Gauteng and National Departments of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs brought the action against Fidelity SecureFire and the Sinoville Firefighting Association (SSFA).<\/p>\n
The application was dismissed in full, with costs, including those of two counsel.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Critics contended that private services are operating in a legally grey area given that the Fire Brigade Services Act makes provision for services outside of the control of a local authority to apply to the minister to be recognised as a designated service.<\/p>\n
Private operators have long argued that they neither wish nor are required to be designated services and simply provide firefighting services to their own clients under contract.<\/p>\n
Ruling a \u2018straightforward interpretation of the law\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Fidelity Services Group says \u201cthe court\u2019s reasoning reflects a straightforward interpretation of the law as written, read in context and aligned with its purpose\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis ruling provides long-overdue legal certainty,\u201d says Fidelity CEO Wahl Bartmann.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cFidelity SecureFire exists to protect lives, assets, and critical infrastructure for clients who choose additional layers of protection, including businesses, communities, and insurers who rely on predictable, professional fire response. The court has confirmed that this can be done lawfully, responsibly, and nationally within the framework of South African law.\u201d<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The judgment says the court affirmed that:<\/p>\n Bartmann says Fidelity remains \u201cfully open to cooperation with municipalities and public emergency services\u201d.<\/p>\n He adds that public safety \u201cis not a competition; it is a shared responsibility\u201d and \u201cprogress in emergency services comes from partnership, not resistance\u201d.<\/p>\n Read: Ex-rugby player\u2019s security firm Fidelity plans IPO [Nov 2025]<\/p>\n The SFFA says the ruling means \u201cthe Sinoville Firefighters may continue to operate as volunteers, assisting the community during fires and emergency situations\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis judgment is a decisive victory for community safety and affirms the critical role of volunteer firefighting services where municipal capacity falls short.\u201d<\/p>\n Read:<\/p>\n AfriForum, whose legal team assisted the SFFA in the case, says it will soon write to the metro \u201crequesting that all previous communications discouraging the metro\u2019s fire brigades from working with organisations such as the SFA be withdrawn\u201d.<\/p>\n Tarien Cooks,\u00a0disaster management specialist\u00a0at AfriForum, says: \u201cThis watershed decision is in the interest of all South Africans.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere vital municipal services such as firefighting fall short, it is volunteers, private businesses and community organisations that step up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Democratic Alliance caucus leader in the metro Cilliers Brink says the party \u201ccalls on Tshwane not to waste further taxpayers\u2019 money by appealing the judgment\u201d and instead seek \u201cto cooperate with private and voluntary fire services\u201d.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He says it was wrong for the metro to take this matter to court given that the private entities are covering its shortcomings.<\/p>\n He cited an example of this from earlier in 2025 when \u201cvoluntary firefighters were prevented from fighting a fire in Klerksoord, even as Tshwane\u2019s own fire brigade was clearly in need of assistance\u201d.<\/p>\n Well-equipped<\/strong><\/p>\n Fidelity\u2019s SecureFire is by far the largest private operator in the country.<\/p>\n It has a \u201cfleet of 600 first responder units positioned for rapid initial intervention, 34 second responder units (rapid intervention vehicles) equipped for escalation and sustained firefighting and 34 third responder units, including fire engines, water tankers, and specialised firefighting units\u201d.<\/p>\n It now operates across all major metros in South Africa and has expanded into larger regional markets including Polokwane, Richards Bay, Nelspruit, Rustenburg, Pietermaritzburg, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Hermanus, and Worcester.<\/p>\n It says it will roll out services to Ladysmith, Klerksdorp, Welkom, Vryheid, Margate, Plettenberg Bay, Newcastle, Middelburg, Kimberley, Jeffreys Bay, George, and Witbank in early 2026.<\/p>\n In the first 10 months of 2025, Fidelity \u201cresponded to 1 117 fire-related incidents across its covered regions\u201d.<\/p>\n It was first on scene in \u201c75.9% of all incidents\u201d.<\/p>\n Follow Moneyweb\u2019s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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